Unconditional love

AMY CHRISTIE DOESN’T BELIEVE THE OLD ADAGE, ‘NEVER WORK WITH CHILDREN OR ANIMALS’. HER HEARTFELT BUSINESS, WEDDING PAWS, ENSURES YOUR FURRY FRIENDS WON’T JUST GET TO THE CHURCH ON TIME BUT WILL PLAY A STARRING ROLE IN YOUR CEREMONY.

What services does Wedding Paws provide?

We do everything from transporting your pets to and from your wedding ceremony or photo session, dressing your pets, supervising and caring for your pets throughout your ceremony, assisting with your pet’s wedding role, providing walks, potty breaks, food and water, disposing of all pet waste, and even pet minding on the night of your wedding.

Why do people want pets at their wedding?

Including your pet in your wedding is no different to inviting your family and friends. Some people wouldn’t dream of getting married without their fur babies.

How did you become interested in working with animals?

When I was getting married in 2012, I really wanted my two pups to be at our wedding but found that nobody offered this sort of service – there was a real gap in the market. Our girls were part of the family and I didn’t want any of our wedding guests to have the pressure of watching them then having to take them home.

Plus, I LOVE animals… I’m that girl that will stop you in the street just to pat your dog. So, what better industry for me to work in! Working with pets and being part of someone’s special day gives me so much satisfaction. Are dogs the only pets people want to include in wedding ceremonies?

So far I have only worked with dogs but I have had queries about including birds, horses and even a python in wedding ceremonies.

Tells us about the funniest, cutest and most emotional weddings Wedding Paws has been involved in?

The funniest was when the mother-in-law was walking her son’s Poodle down the aisle and it stopped halfway for a loo break, and the cutest was when I had a flower girl and page boy walk their Aunty and Uncle’s Pug and French Bulldog down the aisle together – that really was cuteness overload! The most emotional wedding was one of the first jobs I did as Wedding Paws – the couple’s beloved Labrador had been hit by a car the week before the wedding but survived, and the bride arranged for him to be standing outside the chapel doors as a surprise for the groom. I had tears streaming down my face.

Do you have a dog or other pets of your own?

We had two Shar-Peis when Wedding Paws was launched in 2013 but we lost our eldest girl two years ago. Now we just have Chloe. BML

AMY’S ADVICE FOR PERFECT PUPPY PICS

• HAVE A CLEAR PLAN OF HOW YOU WANT YOUR PETS TO BE INVOLVED SO YOUR PHOTOGRAPHER IS AWARE OF THE ROLE

YOUR PET WILL PLAY.

• RESEARCH PHOTOS THAT OTHER COUPLES HAVE HAD TAKEN AT THEIR CEREMONY SO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU WANT.

• GET PHOTOS TAKEN WITH YOUR PETS STRAIGHT AFTER THE GROUP PHOTOS, AS IT’S A BIG DAY FOR THEM AND YOU WANT

TO MAKE IT IS AS STRESS-FREE AS POSSIBLE.

• KEEP SOME TREATS HANDY TO REWARD YOUR PETS FOR THEIR OBEDIENCE.

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